Thiès is a region of western

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 � ...

. The capital is also called

Thiès Thiès (; ar, ثيس, Ṯyass; Noon: ''Chess'') is the third largest city in Senegal with a population officially estimated at 320,000 in 2005. It lies east of Dakar on the N2 road and at the junction of railway lines to Dakar, Bamako and St-L ...

Geography

Thiès has two coastlines, one in the north with the

Grande Côte The Grande Côte is a stretch of coastline in Senegal, running north from the Cap-Vert peninsula of Dakar to the border with Mauritania at St-Louis. A sandy beach runs along the entire coast, which, unlike the Petite Côte, has few settlements � ...

housing the

Niayes Niayes is a geographical area in northwestern Senegal which forms a coastal strip, with sand dunes adjoining the sea being backed by a string of fresh water lakes. The land is used for horticulture and the grazing of cattle, and provides suitable h ...

vegetable market, one to the south with the

Petite Côte The Petite Côte is a stretch of coast in Senegal, running south from the Cap-Vert peninsula to the Saloum Delta, near the border with the Gambia. The northern section near Dakar contains seaside resorts such as Saly Portudal, Rufisque, Nianing a ...

, one of the tourist areas of Senegal. Principally the main passageway between the peninsula and the rest of the country, the region of Thiès has received a communication route connected to the first rail line and new road infrastructure. Thiès is relatively small, yet it is the most populous region after

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital and largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar metropolitan area is estimated at 3.94 million in 2 ...

, with a population of 2,709,112 inhabitants at the end 2007. The coastal communities are dependent on fishing, growing crops, and coastal tourism for subsistence. The interior of the region was the

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible Seed, seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, important to both small ...

basin.

Phosphate In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid . The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phospho ...

s are also mined there.

History

The Thiès Region has always been occupied by the

Serer people The Serer people are a West African ethnoreligious group.

since the ancient Serers and their ancestors. However, in the pre-colonial period, more so around the 16th century, the

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

immigrants

among others ''Among Others'' is a 2011 fantasy novel written by Welsh-Canadian writer Jo Walton, published originally by Tor Books. It is published in the UK by Corsair (Constable & Robinson). It won the 2012 Nebula Award for Best Novel, the Hugo Award for ...

have settled in.Klein, Martin A., "Islam and Imperialism in Senegal Sine-Saloum, 1847–1914", p. 7,

Edinburgh University Press Edinburgh University Press is a scholarly publisher of academic books and journals, based in Edinburgh, Scotland. History Edinburgh University Press was founded in the 1940s and became a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Edinburgh ...

(1968), Diange, Pathé. "Les Royaumes Sérères",

Présence Africaine ''Présence Africaine'' is a pan-African quarterly cultural, political, and literary magazine, published in Paris, France, and founded by Alioune Diop in 1947. In 1949, ''Présence Africaine'' expanded to include a publishing house and a bookstore ...

. No.54 (1965) p-p 142-72Ba, Abdou Bouri, "Essai sur l’histoire du Saloum et du Rip", Avant-propos par Charles Becker et Victor Martin. Publié dans le Bulletin de l’

Institut Fondamental d'Afrique Noire IFAN (I.F.A.N., Institut fondamental d'Afrique noire or Fundamental Institute of Black Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, ...

(IFAN), pp 10-13 Like the

Fatick Region Fatick is the southwest region of the northern outcrop of Senegal. Its alternative name is Jinnak Bolon. The region is named for its capital city, Fatick.

, the entire Thiès Region is strongly Serer and one of the most important of

Serer country Serer may refer to: * Serer people * Serer language * Serer religion *Rafael Calvo Serer Rafael Calvo Serer (born 6 October 1916 at Valencia, Spain, died 19 April 1988 at Pamplona, Navarra, Spain) was a Professor of History of Spanish Philosophy, a ...

. It is also where many of the Serer sacred and historical sites are found. The area is well represented by the Cangin, a sub-group of the Serers, who had a fierce reputation for protecting their country from outsiders in precolonial times as well as during the colonial-era (see

Timeline of Serer history This is a timeline of the history and development of Serer religion and the Serer people of Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania. This timeline merely gives an overview of their history, consisting of calibrated archaeological discoveries in Serer ...

and Serer medieval history). Geographically, the region partially overlaps with the precolonial Kingdoms of

Cayor Cayor ( wo, Kajoor; ar, كاجور) was the largest and most powerful kingdom (1549–1879) that split off from the Jolof Empire in what is now Senegal. Cayor was located in northern and central Senegal, southeast of Walo, west of the kingdom o ...

and

Baol The Kingdom of Baol or Bawol in central Senegal was one of the kingdoms that arose from the split-up of the Empire of Jolof (Diolof) in 1555. The ruler ( Teigne or Teen) reigned from a capital in Diourbel. The Kingdom encompassed a strip of l ...

. The Kingdom of Baol was ruled by the

Joof family Joof (English spelling in the Gambia) or Diouf (French spelling in Senegal and Mauritania) is a surname that is typically Serer. This surname is also spelt Juuf or Juf (in the Serer language). They are the same people. The differences in spe ...

for several centuries until c 1549. During the colonial-era, its development was supported by the railway line - the Dakar-Saint-Louis railway in the late nineteenth century, and then with the Dakar-Niger railway. Thus Administratively, it is one of the oldest in the country.

Administrative divisions

Thiès region is divided into 3

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

s (départements), 14

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

s (soon 15 communes in 2023), 12

arrondissement An arrondissement (, , ) is any of various administrative divisions of France, Belgium, Haiti, certain other Francophone countries, as well as the Netherlands. Europe France The 101 French departments are divided into 342 ''arrondissements' ...

s, 32 communautés rurales and 3 communes d'arrondissement.

Departments

The region is divided into 3 departments as follows:'' * M'bour Département * Thiès Département * Tivaoune Département

Communes

In M'bour Département: * Ville d'Akon (planned) *

M'bour M'Bour or Mbour ( ar, مبور; Wolof: ''Mbuur''), is a city in the Thiès Region of Senegal. It lies on the Petite Côte, approximately eighty kilometers south of Dakar. It is home to a population of nearly 233,000 (2013 census). The city's m ...

Joal-Fadiouth Joal-Fadiouth is a town and commune in the Thiès Region at the end of the Petite Côte of Senegal, south-east of Dakar. ''Joal'' lies on the mainland, while ''Fadiouth'', linked by a bridge, lies on an island of clam shells, which are also use ...

* Nguekokh * Ngaparou *

Popenguine-Ndayane Popenguine-Ndayane is a small village on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Senegal, located 70 km south of Dakar, on the Petite Côte, in the department of M'Bour in the region of Thiès Region. Since 2008, it brings together two localiti ...

Saly Saly (also called Sali or Saly Portudal) is a seaside resort area in Thiès Region on the Petite Côte of Senegal, south of Dakar. It is the top tourist destination in all of West Africa and has the status of a commune. History Saly was original ...

* Somone * Thiadiaye In Thiès Département: *

Kayar ''Kayar'' (English: ''Coir'') is a 1978 Malayalam epic novel written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. Widely considered one of the most seminal works in Malayalam literature, ''Kayar'' received many major literary awards, including the Vayalar ...

Khombole Khombole is a town in the Thiès Region of Senegal. It is in the Thiès Department Thiès Department is one of the 45 departments of Senegal, one of the three located in the Thiès Region. There are 4 urban communes in the department: Kayar, K ...

* Pout In Tivaouane Département: *

Tivaouane Tivaouane or Tivawan ( wo, Tiwaawan; french: Tivaouane) is a city located in the Thiès Region of Senegal. History Tivaouane was part of the Wolof kingdom of Cayor, and was at one time its capital. It was first described to Europeans in the 15th ...

* Mboro * Meckhe

Arrondissements

In M'bour Département: * Fissel * Séssène * Sindia In Thiès Département: * Thiès Nord (also commune d'arrondissement) * Thiès Sud (divided into 2 communes d'arrondissement) * Keur Moussa * Notto * Thiénaba In Tivaouane Département: * Méouane * Médina Dakhar * Niakhène * Pambal

Communautés rurales

In M'bour Département: * Fissel * Ndiaganiao * Nguéniène * Sandiara * Séssène * Malicounda *

Diass Ndiass is a village and rural community in the M'bour Department in the Thies Region of Senegal. It is located southeast of Dakar. According to PEPAM (Programme d'eau potable et d'assainissement du Millénaire), Ndiass has a population of 4794. ...

* Sindia In Thiès Département: * Diender Geudj *

Fandène Fandène ( Serer : Fanđan, or Fandane or Mbel Fandane) is a small village in Senegal about 7 km from Thiès. It is inhabited by the Serer people. History Fandène or Fandane was one of the villages of the precolonial Serer Kingdom of ...

* Keur Moussa * Notto * Tassette * Ndiayène Sirah * Thiénaba * Ngoudiane * Touba Toul In Tivaouane Département: * Méouane * Taïba Ndiaye * Darou-Khoudoss *

Koul KOUL (107.7 FM) is a terrestrial radio station, broadcasting a Bilingual rhythmic CHR format. It is licensed to Agua Dulce, Texas, United States, and serves the Corpus Christi area. The station is owned by Minerva R. Lopez. KOUL is simulcas ...

* Mérina Dakhar * Pékesse * Nbayène * Ngandiouf * Niakhène * Thilmakha * Chérif Lo * Mont Rolland * Notto Gouye Diama * Pambal * Pire Gourèye In 2003, the rural population was 769,884, Source : PEPA

/ref> grouped in 31 villages, in rural communities of Senegal, communautés rurales.

References

External links

List of administrative divisions in SenegalSite on Thiès
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thies Region Regions of Senegal